At Mon Rêve, we believe that each dish tells a story and offers a moment of pure enjoyment.
At Mon Rêve, we believe that every dish tells a story and can offer a moment of pure enjoyment. Our mission is simple: to make every guest feel welcome and at home, providing a culinary experience that is both inspiring and accessible. To create dishes where craftsmanship and creativity go hand in hand, with attention to local ingredients and a sustainable approach to our cuisine.
Mon Rêve’s team consists of passionate chefs and dedicated staff who demonstrate their love for the craft every day. Our chefs Michèl, Mick and Marcel all have unique backgrounds and styles, but share a common dedication to quality and innovation. They are supported by a close-knit kitchen team and staff who work hard every day to make sure every detail is right. Together they bring experience, creativity and love of the craft to every plate that leaves our kitchen.
Ramona Koonings is a Brabant wedding dress designer, entrepreneur, TV personality, industry leader and a true family man. When Ramona started working as a coffee girl in the bridal store of Mr. and Mrs. Koonings at the age of 14, it was soon clear that she was brimming with ambition. She was naturally drawn into entrepreneurship and the world of bridal fashion. When Mr. and Mrs. Koonings decided to sell the business, they entrusted it to only one person: the then 17-year-old Ramona. Together with her mother Ineke, she seized this opportunity with both hands.
Ramona took the first step in her vision to innovate and inspire bridal fashion with the opening of Koonings The Wedding Palace. With a unique collection of dresses and personal attention, here she created a place where every bride feels special. Expanding on her dream, she then created Koonings The Wedding Castle. The location where her new restaurant Mon Rêve is also located.
Restaurant Mon Rêve is located in the basement of the historic Kasteel Oost in magical Valkenburg. Hidden between the hills and in a picturesque setting, not far from the city center, is this new and additional location of Koonings: Koonings The Wedding Castle.
With a total area of some 36,000m², the castle, including its park-like gardens, offers countless opportunities to make wedding dreams come true. In addition to a bridal store, men’s and children’s fashion store for festive evening wear, and beauty salon, Kasteel Oost also offers the possibility of a wedding venue.
“I am not a chef, I am a colleague!”
“I was five years old when I already dreamed of one day becoming a chef. Yet I still had to wait about seven years before I could take my first steps in the profession. I did so at the age of thirteen at my cousin’s restaurant. What started in the dishwashing kitchen soon became flambéing dishes at the table. Needless to say, I took the Consumptive Techniques course, followed by practical training. This all still took place above the rivers, but both love and work lured me to the south of the country. I honed my skills under ladychef Ida van den Hurk, worked with Michèl Hanssen at Kasteel Erenstein and had an internship with grandmaster Cas Spijkers. It didn’t just stay in the Netherlands: in the Champagne region I worked at Chateau de Barive and then in Lanaken, Belgium.
The love that had brought me to the south of the country was working at In De’n Dillegaard at the time. They were looking for new managers and one thing led to another. Soon we had a Bib Gourmand, followed by the Michelin star in 2004.
That star brought so much, for example, including requests to get into concept development. A project revolving around the flavors of the world took me to Italy, where I learned the authentic pasta cuisine of the Mamas through various internships. What I learned in Ferrara from one of those Mamas changed my life! The love for pasta was born and the contacts in Italy were made. I bought a machine to make seven kilos of pasta per hour, three months later in was back in Italy to exchange it for a bigger one…..
It didn’t stop at pasta for our restaurant, soon we were delivering to almost the entire country and I had to make the choice to continue with a starred restaurant or focus much more on pasta. We decided to hand in our star and transform the restaurant into a simpler, but still quality concept, called Eten by Michèl. With that, we became national and international news, because a chef who surrenders his star is unique.
However, Pasta by Michèl continued to grow so fast that we decided to close the doors of Eten by Michèl as well and focus solely on the pastas and sauces that we prepare in a brand new production location in Sittard. In this place I can fully express my love for Italian pasta cuisine and introduce the entire Benelux to real quality pasta, according to the traditions of the Mamas, combined with my knowledge and experience.”
My name is Mick Bos.
From a young age, I stood next to my mother in the kitchen watching and trying to help her prepare old-fashioned Limburg flans.
I soon noticed in high school that I really liked cooking in the health and wellness department. Immediately I knew I was going to go for chef training!
At the age of 14, I started working in a large hotel as a dishwasher and kitchen assistant. Immediately I wanted to learn all the tricks of the trade and was allowed to continue my first 2 years here as an apprentice chef. Over the years, thanks to my passion and perseverance, I worked my way up and developed into a chef.
My cooking style is unique. I mainly try to stand out from what other restaurants and catering establishments do. My roots are in classic French cuisine. To this I give a new character by adding modern cooking techniques, Asian influences and unique flavor combinations.
In the past I have worked as a chef at several castles in Limburg. The beautiful locations of castles is something that really appeals to me. I have always had my eye on Castle Oost in Valkenburg. It is an extremely unique monumental building. The beautiful facade, large courtyard, wide staircase on entry, magnificent halls and the beautiful garden at the back. Surely that is just in a word amazing! It has always been my dream to be able to work here.
With the Koonings Wedding Castle, I am sure we are going to create a unique concept that honors the location and makes dreams come true.
My name is Marcel Klein and I am 56 years old.
As a small child, I was always busy with pans and ladles. As I got a little older, I started watching and “helping” in my mother’s kitchen more and more often. As a teenager, I sometimes cooked for the family. Admittedly, I sometimes used packets, but I did it. Still, it took until I was 18 before I knew I wanted to be a chef.
I then started the Secondary School of Catering in Heerlen. After finishing this, I started working and could really make the profession of cook my own. After 34 years in the kitchens of various companies (restaurants, brasseries and hotels), a new challenge arrived: sous chef at Koonings, The Wedding Castle. With great enthusiasm I will start here, creating beautiful dishes for the guests.